At the Museum

Susan Suarez President & CEO

I hope everyone had a nice summer! We are looking forward to welcoming you back to the Museum this fall. Read below for an update on the state’s arts and culture funding, along with information on a new exhibit and upcoming programs.

State arts and culture grants eliminated

In June, the entire $32 million funding allocation for state arts and culture grants in 2024-2025 was vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. This was a rare action — even during economic downturns, state budget funds were allocated for arts and culture grants. This veto’s impact is far-reaching and deeply felt by small nonprofits across the state, including our Museum.

For the past five years, the Museum has been awarded grants in recognition of the important work we do with Southwest Florida students and the public. The Museum had been approved for an arts and culture grant of nearly $47,000 in support of our educational and cultural programs for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The termination of our funding came just weeks before our new fiscal year began. We and the other arts and culture groups who had been awarded the grants are scrambling to close these unexpected funding gaps.

In addition to the grants we’ve already applied for, we’ve been researching and applying for grants from new sources. We must continue to share the lessons of the Holocaust with as many people as possible given the difficult times we are living through. We want to expand, not reduce, our important programming. We have been blessed for many years with loyal supporters. I hope you will consider making an additional donation to support our 2024-2025 education efforts. Every amount helps. Please visit www.hmcec. org/support to make a donation.

Kudos to the Collier Community Foundation

I want to thank the Collier Community Foundation for its efforts to help blunt the funding veto’s impact on several organizations in our community. The Collier Community Foundation has provided approximately $250,000 in grants to local organizations in the face of these unexpected state funding cuts. Thankfully, the Museum is one of their beneficiaries and received $12,000. For nearly 40 years, the Collier Community Foundation and its generous donors have supported local nonprofits with financial assistance. With its awarding of these grants, it continues its role as a vital and important steward of our community.

Movies That Matter –The Steve Brazina Memorial Film Series

This year’s Movies that Matter Expert Panel Discussions will be held via Zoom. As in past years, a panel of local experts on the film’s subject will discuss and answer your questions on the issue’s impact on our area.

Two programs are scheduled for fall 2024, and one in spring 2025. Film links will be sent out the week before the scheduled expert panel discussions via Zoom so you can watch the films at your convenience. The Zoom link will be sent out the day before the discussion. Below is the fall schedule; details on the spring film title and discussion date will be available later.

Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2-3 p.m. via Zoom

Expert Panel Discussion of “Wake Up: Stories from the Frontlines of Suicide Prevention.”

"Wake Up" interweaves the stories of four very different communities affected by suicide. The film focuses on the actions of leading advocates for suicide prevention and the importance compassion plays in the fight against prejudice about those affected by suicide and their families.

RSVP required to receive film and Zoom links – www.hmcec.org.

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2-3 p.m. via Zoom

Expert Panel Discussion of “Pay or Die,” which explores the dilemma faced by millions of insulin-dependent Americans living with Type 1 Diabetes. The prices of the life-saving medications they require have risen dramatically as have the profits of the pharmaceutical companies manufacturing them and other vital drugs. RSVP required at www.hmcec.org to receive film and Zoom links.

Current exhibit at the Museum

“Witness to the Memory of Oradour – The Photography of Martin Graf” premiered at our Museum in July. Martin Graf’s haunting black and white photographs of the ruins of the small French town of Oradour honor the memory of the victims of a devastating Nazi reprisal. In June 1944, SS troops surrounded the town and rounded up its residents because of a rumor that area partisans captured a high-ranking Nazi officer. The Nazis murdered 642 people — men, women and children — before destroying the town and leaving the ruins which remain today. Only six people survived this brutal action. Graf eventually met Robert Hébras, the last remaining survivor of the massacre. Later, they joined forces to teach students about the events at Oradour. “Witness to the Memory of Oradour – The Photography of Martin Graf” will be on display through early December 2024. We hope to schedule a program with Martin Graf at the Museum this fall.

Boxcar at the Museum

The Boxcar Exhibit is currently on display at the Museum before it begins its travels for the 2024-2025 school year. The exhibit is on loan to the Museum from Jack and F.E. Nortman and The Boxcar Foundation. Over the summer, The Boxcar Exhibit’s information panels were updated in preparation for the year’s activities. The exhibit is available for display at schools and community organizations. Please contact Museum Education Specialist David Nelson for more information on scheduling availability. Email David@hmcec.org or call 239-263-9022, ext. 205.

Are you a parent (or grandparent) of a student in K-12 school in Southwest Florida? If so, you can help promote Holocaust education by letting the principal and teachers know about the Museum’s free programs for schools! Contact David@hmcec.org, and we can email or mail you the flyer to give to your student’s school.

I hope to see you soon at the Museum!